Improvement in clasps for pocket-books



B. M. J. BLANKK T. SCI-IIMPER.

,CL-ASPS FOR POCKET-BOOKS. V No 176,698; v Patented April as, 1876.

N-FEFERS, FHOl'O-LITNOGRAPMER WASNINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PAT T FFIG 1;;

BARTHOLOMEUS M. J. BLANK, 0F IIERsEiI CITY, NEW JERsEY, AND THEO- DoRESGHIMPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; SAID BLANK ASSIGNOR TO WM. soHIMPER, OFNEw YoRK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLASPS FOR POCKET-BOOKS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 176,698, dated April 25,1876; application filed March 16, 1876.

T 0 allwhom it may concern Be it known that we, BARTHOLOMEUS M. J.BLANK, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,and THEODORE SCHIMPER, of the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Pocket-Book Clasps; and we .do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part ofthis specification.

Our invention relates principally to clasps for pocket-books; but it isapplicable to clasps for ieticules, hand-bags, and valises.

It consists in a novel and simple construction of the spring-catch andthe mode of applying the same to the bows of the pocketbook or bag,whereby the catch is almost wholly concealed within the bows, and anextremely neat appearance is presented, while the cost is less than thatof the spring-catches in common use.

Figure l, in the accompanying drawing, is a representation of thespring-catch as it is first punched from the sheet metal, and after aportion has been rounded off to form a support and guide for the spring.Fig. 2 shows its form when completed and applied to one of the bows ofthe clasp. Fig.3 is a crosssectionof the bows, and an end View of thespring catch. Fig. 4 is a representation, in perspective, of thecompleted clasp attached to a bow of a pocket-book or bag.

The spring-catch, as first punched from the metal, consists of acruciform piece of metal, as shown in Fig. 1. On one side thereof isformed the hooked arm 0. Upon the catch is a support and guide, 8, forthe spring m,

formed by rounding off the corners of the metal as first punched fromthe sheet. The bows B B of the clasp, are made of a U shapedcross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. ()n the inner sides of the bows whichmeet each other when the clasp is shut, and preferably, in the middlethereof, are cut rectangular slots 1) p and in the arched part of thebow in which the catch is designed to work is formed another slot, 10for the reception of the arm a, and in which the said arm a plays, ashereinafter more fully set forth. Moreover, a cut,

r, is made through the part t, lying between the slot 12 and the innermargin of the bow B, as shown in Fig. 4. Within the cavity of the bow Bis soldered or otherwise fastened the spring-bearing and guide d,through a hole in the center of which the support 8 of the catch playsloosely, and against which the spring m abuts when the parts are puttogether, which is done as follows The hooked armc is bent so as to beperpendicular or'at right angles with both the spring-support s and thearm 0.. Then the part it of the bow B is bent outward and away from thecut 1 in the said bow B to allow the hooked arm 0 to pass into the slot10 in said bow. The

spring m is then placed upon the spring-support 8, the spring beingcompressed against the shoulder e of the catch. The end of the shank sis then passed through the hole in the spring-bearing d, and the arm 01.passed through the slot 1) in the bow B, which brings the catch downinto the concavity of the said bow, and passes the hooked arm 0 into theslot 10. The part t is then bent hack to its original position, as shownin Fig. 4, and the arm a is bent att' into a position parallel with thehooked arm 0. A plain or ornamental finger-piece, a, is then solderedupon the arm a, which completes the work. The slots 10 and p in the bowsB and B are opposite each other, and the hooked arm 0 abuts against theend of the slot p, in such a position that the inclined plane 1: on theend of. V

the said arm presses against the end of the slot p in the bow B, whenthe bows are pressed together, and slips over the same, forcing thecatch back till the hook on the arm 0 passes into the slot p The springthen forces the slide forward till the hook engages the inner side ofthe bow B, and thus automatically fastens the bows together. The

catch 0 is released from its engagement with

